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NEW JERSEY COMPANY, THREE INDIVIDUALS INDICTED ON ASBESTOS CHARGES
Release Date: 10/12/2001
Contact Information:
FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, OCT. 12, 2001
NEW JERSEY COMPANY, THREE INDIVIDUALS
INDICTED ON ASBESTOS CHARGES
Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818 / hester.luke@epa.gov
INDICTED ON ASBESTOS CHARGES
Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818 / hester.luke@epa.gov
Spartan Environmental Remediation Barons, Inc., of Sparta, N.J., and three individuals associated with the company, Stevo Bubalo, Ruben Latorre, and Jose Sandoval, were all indicted on Oct.2 on charges of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and defraud the United States, and three charges of violating the Clean Air Act by illegally removing asbestos-containing material. Spartan had a sub-contract to remove asbestos-containing materials from seven buildings at the Military Ocean Terminal-Bayonne in Bayonne, N.J. The charges allege that the defendants directed an asbestos “rip and tear” operation without following federally-required asbestos workplace practices. Federal workplace practices are required to prevent asbestos from becoming airborne, because the inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers by workers is a known cause of lung cancer, a lung disease known as “asbestosis,” and mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. If convicted on all counts, each individual defendant faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the four counts. Spartan faces maximum fines of up to $500,000 on each count, if convicted. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, with the assistance of EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center and EPA regional office in New York. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark, N.J. An indictment is merely an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law.
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